Greek and Latin in Scientific Terminology, Lecture 8
 Andrew Dunning
 30 October 2014

Last Class
Introduction to Latin
•	We examined:
–	Latin prefixes;
–	The history of Latin and it history in the ancient Roman world;
–	Scientific texts in late antiquity.
Negation: Džuganová (2006)
•	Negative prefixes:
–	a-
–	dis-
–	in-
–	non-
–	un-
•	Only one negative suffix: -less
Final Assignment
Vocabulary Analysis Paper
•	A slightly more advanced version of your weekly vocabulary analyses:
1.	Select twenty terms from two recent (2014) articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
2.	Analyse their etymology and meaning, showing their breakdown into individual roots (as in the vocabulary list).
•	Full details on the course website.
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•	You should use at least three professional dictionaries (or other appropriate scholarly sources; a bibliography will be distributed) to support your findings. Sources are only acceptable if they have gone through a peer-review process (any academic dictionary).
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•	Articles must be fully cited using either the author-date system of the Chicago Manual of Style (used in the syllabus) or another style relevant to your discipline.
•	Must be written in a prose format (i.e. not point-form).
Suffixes I
-al, (-ial, -eal)
•	‘pertaining to’, ‘like’, ‘belonging to’, ‘having the character of’ (-alis)
•	abdominal, legal, oral, corporal
-ile, -il
•	‘pertaining to’, ‘like’, ‘belonging to’, ‘having the character of’ (-ilis)
•	hostile, juvenile, virile, civil
-ar
•	‘pertaining to’, ‘like’, ‘belonging to’, ‘having the character of’ (-aris)
•	lunar, solar, popular
-ine
•	‘pertaining to’, ‘like’, ‘belonging to’, ‘having the character of’ (-inus)
•	bovine, marine, feminine
-ic, -tic
•	‘pertaining to’, ‘like’ (-icus, -ticus)
•	pelvic, civic, lunatic
-ary
•	‘pertaining to’, ‘connected with’, ‘having the character of’ (-arius)
•	military, literary, sanguinary
-an, -ane
•	‘pertaining to’, ‘like’, ‘belonging to’, ‘having the character of’ (-anus)
•	urban, veteran, Canadian
-form (usually -iform)
•	‘like’, ‘having the shape of’ (-formis)
•	reniform, muriform, oviform
-ate (occasionally -ite)
•	‘having’, ‘having the shape of’, ‘characterized by having’ (-atus)
•	effeminate, accurate, dentate, favourite
-(u)lent, -(o)lent
•	‘full of’, ‘disposed to’ (-lentus)
•	fraudulent, purulent, sanguinolent, virulent
-ose
•	‘full of’ (-osus)
•	verbose, rugose, comatose
-ous (-ious, -eous)
•	‘full of’, ‘having the character of’ (-osus, -us)
•	various, populous, nervous
-aceous
•	‘belonging to’, ‘resembling’
•	herbaceous, cretaceous, chartaceous
Medieval Contributions to Science
Isidore of Seville: How not to write etymologies
•	Isidore of Seville was a bishop living in seventh-century Spain; his book Etymologies (Origines) was a very popular reference work in the Middle Ages.
Trans. by Dirckx (2007)
Frenesis is so called either because it is a disorder of the mind (G. phrenes) or because its victims grind their teeth (L. frendere ‘to gnash the teeth’). This is a form of mental disturbance with violent behavior and dementia, a choleric affliction.
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Hydrophobia is literally ‘fear of water’ (Gr. hydor ‘water’, phobos ‘fear’); compare the Latin term morbus lymphaticus, from lympha ‘water’. This is caused by the bite of a mad dog, or even by coming into contact with its saliva spilled on the ground, which will provoke either man or beast to madness and rage.
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Epilemsia amounts to an attack or assault (Gr. epilepsia) on both mind and body. It arises from a superabundance of black bile acting on the brain. It is also called the falling (Lat. caduca) sickness because during an attack the patient falls down. Lay persons call victims of this disorder lunatici because they imagine that the demons follow the phases of the moon in playing their tricks, and also larvatici. Still other names are the great, divine, or comitial disease. Great it certainly is, in that it can make a healthy man fall down and foam at the mouth. It is called comitialis because, in pagan times, if someone had such an attack on a day set aside for a public assembly [Lat. comitium], the assembly was postponed. Among the Romans such a day was set aside each year in January.
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Vertigo means a whirlwind that stirs up earth and throws it around. In the vertex of the human body, arteries and veins can likewise stir up a wind from undue moisture and relaxation, and cause the eyes to spin, and that too we call vertigo.
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Cancer, Latin for ‘crab’, is named for its similarity to the sea creature. According to the physicians, no medicine can cure such a lesion. Although the part in which it arises is often excised so as to prolong the patient’s life, death nonetheless eventually ensues.
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•	Manuscripts of the Etymologies:
–	Zofingen, Stadtbibliothek, Pa 32
–	St. Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 236
–	St. Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 231
–	St. Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 879
•	Translation of the full work:
–	Barney, Stephen A., W.J. Lewis, J.A. Beach, and Oliver Berghof, trans. 2006. The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Scholastic Humanism and the Creation of the University
•	Due to licensing restrictions, the images used for this section of the lecture cannot be posted online.
Roots, Part I
ACIN-
•	‘grapes in a cluster’ (acinus)
•	ACIN-ar, pertaining to an acinus, a small seed or kernel, as of a grape; inter-ACIN-ar, among alveoli of a racemose gland; ACIN-iform, grape- or berry- shaped (applies to a type of silk gland in a spider)
AL-
•	‘wing’, (ala)
•	ALA, any winglike projection or structure; ex-AL-ate, not having winglike appendages, apterous; ALI-FER-ous, having wings; ALI-NOT-um, the dorsal plate of an insect to which wings are attached
ANNUL-
•	‘ring’ (annulus)
•	ANNULUS, any ringlike structure; ANNUL-ose, possessing rings
APIC-
•	‘tip’, ‘summit’, ‘apex’ (apex)
•	sub-APIC-al, nearly at the apex; peri-APIC-al, around an apex; APIC-ul-ate, forming abruptly to a small tip, as a leaf
ARGENT-
•	‘silver’ (argentum)
•	ARGENT-eous, like silver; ARGENTI-FER-ous, producing or containing silver; ARGENT-in-idae, family of small, silvery marine fishes
CAN-
•	‘dog’ (canis)
•	CAN-in-idae, family which includes dogs, wolves and jackals; CAN-in-iform, having the form of a typical canine tooth
CAPIT- (-CIPIT-)
•	‘head’ (caput)
•	CAPIT-al; BI-CEPS; CAPIT-ulum or CAPIT-ellum, knoblike swelling on the end of bone; CAPIT-ell-idae, family of worms with small heads
DUR-
•	‘hard’, ‘dura mater’ (durus)
•	en-DURE; ob-DUR-ate; in-DUR-at-ion, the hardening of a tissue or part; epi-DUR-al, space between the dura mater and the wall of the vertebral canal; DUR-amen, hard darker central region of a tree stem, heart-wood
EQU-
•	‘horse’ (equus)
•	EQU-estrian; EQU-it-at-ion; EQU-it-ant, overlapping saddle-wise, as leaves in a leaf-bud; EQU-idae, family of mammals having a single extant genus, Equus, which includes the horse, ass and zebra
LACRIM- (LACHRYM-)
•	‘tear’ (lacrima)
•	LACRIM-al, pertaining to tears or to tear-secreting organs, the lacrimal bone; NASO-LACRIM-al, pertaining to the nose and lacrimal apparatus
LACUN-
•	‘small pit’, ‘gap’ (lacuna)
•	LACUNA, a space between cells; a sinus; a cavity in bone; a small cavity or depression on the surface of lichens; a leaf gap; LACUN-oso-RUG-ose, having deep furrows or pits, as some seeds and fruits
LIMIN-
•	‘threshold’ (limen)
•	e-LIMIN-ate; LIMEN, threshold, minimum stimulus or quantitative difference in stimulus that is perceptible, or boundary; LIMEN NASI, boundary between the osseous and cartilaginous portions of the nasal cavity; LIMIN-al, pertaining to a threshold, applies to stimulus, sensations
MAL-
•	‘cheek’, ‘cheekbone’ (mala)
•	MAL-ar, pertaining to the cheek or to the zygoma
OCUL-
•	‘eye’ (oculus); OCELL-, ‘little eye’ (ocellus)
•	MON-OC-le; OCELL-ate, like an eye or eyes, applies to marking in many animals; TRANS-OCUL-ar, extending across the eye; MON-OCULE, a one-eyed animal
PALAT-
•	‘palate’, ‘roof of the mouth’ (palatum)
•	PALAT-ine, pertaining to or in the region of the palate (said of artery, bone, foramen); PALAT-itis, inflammation of the palate; PALAT-iform, resembling the palate
PARIET-
•	‘wall’ (paries)
•	PARIES, wall of a hollow structure; PARIET-al, pertaining to or forming part of the wall of a structure (of cells, membrane, etc.), also the parietal bone in the roof of the skull; UTERO-PARIET-al, pertaining to the uterus and abdominal wall
PLANT-
•	‘sole of the foot’, ‘sprout’ (planta)
•	PLANTA-, the sole of the foot, or the first tarsal joint of insects; PLANTI-GRADE, walking on the full sole of the foot; im-PLANT; trans-PLANT-at-ion
PONT-
•	‘bridge’ (pons)
•	PONT-oon; PONTI-FF; PONS, a process or bridge of tissue connection two parts of an organ, or a convex white eminence situated at the base of the brain; CEREBRO-PONT-ine, relating to cerebrum and pons; PONTO-BULB-ar, pertaining to the pons and the medulla oblongata
PULVIN-
•	‘cushion’ (pulvinus); PULVIL-, ‘little cushion’ (pulvillus)
•	PULVINUS, a cellular swelling at the junction of axis and leaf stalk; PULVILLUS or PULVIN-ulus, pad, process or membrane on the foot or between the claws, the lobe between each claw
SEN-
•	‘old’ (senex)
•	SEN-ior; SEN-ate; pre-SEN-il-ity, premature old age; SEN-OP-ia, the change of vision in the aged in which persons formerly myopic acquire what seems to be normal vision because of presbyopia
Roots, Part II
AQU(A)-
•	‘water’ (aqua)
•	AQUA-tic, AQUE-DUCT; AQUI-FER, a water-bearing bed or stratum of permeable rock, sand or gravel; AQUA REGIA, a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids which dissolves gold
BREV-
•	‘short’ (brevis)
•	BREV-ity; ab-BREVI-ate; BREVI-PED, having short legs; BREVI-FOLI-ate, having short leaves; BREVI-LINGU-al, with a short tongue
CAPILL-
•	‘hair’ (capillus)
•	CAPELL-ini; CAPILL-ary; CAPILL-ar-ec-TAS-ia, dilatation of the capillaries; CAPILL-aceous, having hairlike filaments
COLL-
•	‘neck’ (collum)
•	COLL-ar bone, the clavicle; TORTI-COLL-ar, affected with wry-neck or TORTI-COLL-is
CORON-
•	‘crown’ (corona); COROLL-, ‘little crown’ (corolla)
•	COROLLA, the petals of a flower; COROLL-aceous, pertaining to a corolla; CORON-illa, genus of flowers named for crown-shaped flowers
CORTIC-, CORT-
•	‘bark’, ‘outer layer’ (cortex)
•	CORTEX, outer or more superficial part of an organ, the cerebral cortex; infra-CORTIC-al, beneath the cortex; CORTICI-PET-al, conducting toward the cortex
CRUC-
•	‘cross’ (crux)
•	CRUCI-FY; ex-CRUCI-at-ing; CRUCI-FER, a plant with four petals and tetradynamous stamens, a member of the family Cruciferae; CRUCI-ate, cross-shaped
CUNE-
•	‘wedge’ (cuneus)
•	CUNE-iform; CUNE-ate, wedge-shaped; prae-CUNE-us, the medial surface of the parietal or the quadrate lobe of the cerebrum
ENS-
•	‘sword’ (ensis)
•	ENS-iform, sword-shaped, as the ensiform cartilage
FALC-
•	‘sickle’ (falx)
•	FALX, sickle-shaped fold of dura mater; FALC-ate, sickle-shaped, hooked
FUG-
•	‘to flee’, ‘to put to flight’
•	re-FUGE; FUGI-tive; NIDI-FUG-ous, leaving the nest soon after hatching; CEREBRI-FUG-al, applies to nerve fibres which pass from the brain to the spinal cord; LACTI-FUGE, a drug or agent that lessens the secretion of milk
LINE-
•	‘line’ (linea)
•	LINE-ar; de-LINE-ate; LINE-at-ion, an arrangement of lines; LINE-ol-ate, marked by fine lines or striae
LUC-
•	‘light’, ‘to shine’ (lux)
•	LUC-id; e-LUC-id-ate; NOCTI-LUC-ent, phosphorescent, luminescent; LUCI-FUG-al, fleeing from or avoiding light
MATR-, MATERN-
•	‘mother’ (mater, maternus)
•	MATRO-CLIN-ous, derived from or inherited from the maternal line; MATR-ix, something within which something else originates or takes form or develops
MONT-
•	‘mountain’ (mons)
•	MONTI-COL-ous, inhabiting mountainous regions; MONT-iculus, largest part of the superior vermis of the cerebellum; MONT-icules, small eminences or prominences
MULT-
•	‘many’ (multus)
•	MULTI-CARIN-ate, having many carinae or ridges; MULTI-COST-ate, with many ribs, ridges or veins; MULTI-OCUL-ur, many-eyed
RET-
•	‘net’, ‘network’ (rete)
•	RETE, a network or net; RET-ina, the light-receptive layer and terminal expansion of the optic nerve in the eye; RET-icle or RET-iculum, a delicate network of cell protoplasm
ROSTR-
•	‘beak’ (rostrum)
•	ROSTRUM, beak or beaklike process; LONGI-ROSTR-al, with a long beak; ROST-ell-iform, shaped like a small beak
TORQU-, TORT-, TORS-
•	‘to twist’
•	TORT; re-TORT; TORT-ure; dis-TORS-ion, the act of twisting; LATERO-TORS-ion, a twisting to one side; con-TORTU-PLIC-ate, applies to a bud with contorted and plicate leaves
VERM-
•	‘worm’ (vermis)
•	VERMI-celli; VERM-icul-at-ion, wormlike or peristaltic movement, or fine, wavy markings; VERMI-LINGU-al, having a worm-shaped tongue; VERMI-PAR-ous, producing wormlike young, as do blowflies
Roots, Part III
BULL-
•	‘bubble’, ‘blister’ (bulla); BULLI-, ‘to boil’
•	BULLA, a large bleb or blister forming either within or beneath the epidermis and filled with lymph; VESI-oluo-BULL-ous, characterized by both vesicles and bullae at the same time
COL-
•	‘to inhabit’
•	FUNGI-COL-ous, living in or on fungi; LATEBRI-COL-ous, inhabiting holes; DESERTI-COL-ous, desert-inhabiting; RADICI-COL-ous, with the flower seated immediately upon the crown of a root, or dwelling in the root, as a parasite
CORI-
•	‘skin’ (corium)
•	CORIUM, the deep layer of the skin; CORI-aceous, leathery (applies to leaves); CORI-aria, a genus of poisonous shrubs used in dyeing and tanning
CRIST-
•	‘crest’ (crista)
•	CRISTA, a crest; CRISTA TERMIN-alis, crest on the wall of the right atrium; inter-CRIST-al, between the surmounting ridges of a bone, organ or process (used particularly in intercristal diameter of pelvis, the distance between two clear crests)
FAEC- (FEC-)
•	‘excrement’, ‘sediment’ (faeces)
•	FAECA-LITH, concretion or calcified mass of faecal material (= COPRO-LITH); FAEC-al-oid, resembling faeces; FAEC-ula, the faecal pellet of an insect
FLA-, FLAT-
•	‘to blow’
•	ex-suf-FLAT-ion, forced discharge of breath; FLAT-ul-ence, having gas in the stomach and intestinal tract
FLOR-
•	‘flower’ (flos)
•	FLOR-ist; FLOR-id; ef-FLOR-esc-ence, eruption of exanthemous disease; extra-FLOR-al, situated outside the flower; pre-FLOR-at-ion, the form and arrangement of flowers in the bud
FORNIC-
•	‘arch’ (fornix)
•	FORNIX, an arched body or surface, such as the fornix cerebri; FORNIC-al, like or pertaining to a fornix
GER-, GEST-
•	‘to carry’, ‘to bear’
•	di-GEST, to convert food in assimilable form; in-GEST, to take substances into the body; OVI-GER, a leg modified for carrying the eggs in some pycnogonids (sea spiders)
GUTT-
•	‘drop’ (gutta)
•	GUTT-er; GUTT-ate, having drop-like markings; GUTT-at-ion formation of drops of water on plants; GUTT-iform, drop-shaped; GUTT-ul-ate, in the form of a small drop, as markings
NAEV- (NEV-)
•	‘birthmark’, ‘mole’ (naevus)
•	NAEVUS, birthmark; NAEV-al, of or related to a naevus; NAEVO-XANTHO-endo-THELI-oma, a group or group of yellowish brown nodules sometimes found on extremities in early childhood
NID-
•	‘nest’ (nidus)
•	NID-at-ion, the renewal of uterine lining between menstrual periods; de-NID-at-ion, disintegration and ejection of superficial part of uterine mucus; NID-ament-al, applies to glands which secrete material for an egg-covering
PULVER-, PULV-
•	‘dust’ (pulvus)
•	PULVER-ize; PULVI-PLUME, a powder-down feather; PULVER-aceous, covered with a layer of powdery granules
RADIC-
•	‘root’ (radix)
•	RADIC-al; e-RADIC-ate; RADIC-ul-ose, having many rootlets; MONO-RADIC-ul-ar, having only one root; MYELO-RADIC-ul-itis, inflammation of spinal cord and roots of spinal nerves
RAM-
•	‘branch’ (ramus)
•	RAMI-fic-at-ion; RAM-ate,branched; BI-RAM-ose, divided into two branches; RAMI-FLOR-ous, having flowers on branches
SAX-
•	‘rock’ (saxum)
•	SAXI-CAV-ous, applies to rock-borers (as some molluscs), lithophagous; SAXI-FRAGE, plant of the family Saxifraga, perennial herbs frequently found growing in rock crevices; SAXI-COL-ous, inhabiting or growing around rocks
SCUT-
•	‘shield’ (scutum)
•	ESCUT-cheon; SCUTE, an external scale, as of reptiles, fish or scaly insects; SCUT-ate protected by large scales or horny plates
SERR-
•	‘saw’, ‘saw-tooth’ (serra)
•	SIERRA; SERR-at-iform, like a saw; sub-SERR-ate, somewhat notched or saw-toothed; SERRI-CORN-ia, a genus of beetles with saw-toothed antennae
STERCOR-, STERC-
•	‘excrement’ (stercus)
•	STERCO-BIL-in, the brown pigment of faeces; STERC-oma, a fecalith, a hard faecal mass, usually in the rectum; STERC-ul-ia, a type of plant with a fetid odour
SULC-
•	‘furrow’, ‘groove’ (sulcus)
•	SULC-ate, furrowed, grooved; BI-SULC-ate, having two grooves; SULCO-MARGIN-al, situated at the margin of the spinal cord adjacent to the ventral median fissure